Trade ministers of 16 countries, including India will meet in Vietnam to discuss progress in the ongoing negotiations of proposed mega trade deal RCEP.

So far negotiators of RCEP have held 18 rounds of negotiations.

RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between 10 member of ASEAN and 6 states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements.

RCEP is viewed as an alternative to the TPP.

Best Places to Work in India.

E-commerce giant Flipkart has topped LinkedIn’s list of the top companies to work in India second time in a row.

Flipkart was followed by Amazon, KPMG India while Oracle was at the bottom of the list.

The list of desirable employers is based on actions taken by over 500 million members including job applications, engagement, and employee retention.

4 Slab Service Tax Structure

The GST Council headed by finance Minister Jaitley has finalised a 4 slab service tax structure at the rates of 5, 12, 18 and 28% as against the single rate of 15% levied on all taxable services.

Healthcare and education will be exempt from the GST on services.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that the net effect of the GST will not be inflationary.

Indian archers claim gold at World Cup.

India’s compound men’s archery team consisting of Abhishek Verma, Chinna Raju Srither and Amanjeet Singh defeated Colombia In the penultimate day of the archery World Cup stage 1 championship in Shanghai.

In semifinal, India got the better of the US while India edge out Iran in the quarterfinals. India beat Vietnam in the first round.

The women’s team however did not finish on the podium.

NTRO under Intelligence Act.

The National Technical Research Organisation which reports to the PMO and the NSA will now have the same “norms of conduct” as the IB and RAW.

NTRO was created after the 1999 Kargil conflict as a dedicated technical intelligence agency.

It was in 1985 that the act was first passed in Parliament to ensure that the intelligence officials do not leak out information and embarrass the govt.

NITI Aayog holds first Samavesh meeting

In pursuance of the Prime Ministers call for a New India 2022, the first meeting of the National Steering Group and other knowledge partners was held in NITI Aayog in New Delhi.

A total of 32 premier educational and policy research institutes participated in the event where many MoUs were signed.

As part of Samavesh initiative, a new link on NITIs website was launched.

First human antibodies to fight Ebola.

The first natural human antibodies that can neutralise and protect animals against all three major disease-causing Ebola viruses have been discovered.

Ebola infections are usually severe, and often fatal. There are no vaccines or treatments approved for treating these viruses.

The virus killed 11000 people in West Africa during 2013-16.

The findings were published in the journal, Cell.

PM Modi releases Dr. Swaminathan’s book.

PM Modi released a 2-part book series on the eminent agricultural scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan.

The series is titled – M.S. Swaminathan: The Quest for a world without hunger.

Praising the dedication and commitment of Prof. Swaminathan, the Prime Minister described him as a “Kisan Vaigyanik” – Farmers’ Scientist.

M. S. Swaminathan is famous for starting the Green Revolution in India.

Air Marshal Pradhan appointed as DCIDS.

Air Marshal PN Pradhan took over as Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations).

He was closely associated with the induction and operationalisation of Embraer-135, BBJ and C-130 fleets in the IAF.

For his distinguished service of an exceptionally high order he was awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 Jan 2014.

First Tejas train to run on May 22.

The Tejas, India’s first technologically advanced train will commence its journey from May 22.

Developed by Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, the first rake was on display in Delhi on May 19.

It has 19 coaches and runs at a speed of 200 km/hr.

It has facilities like USB charger, automatic doors and other upgrades.